The Only Way
by Emmi82
Summary: She had a problem and he knew the only way it could be fixed was if he stepped in...even if he was her ex boyfriend. TWO-SHOT! TxG
1. Chapter 1

THE ONLY WAY

**Ok, so you might be thinking, 'why is she posting a new story when she should be working on Replaced?' Well this was written a while ago as part of my Zac/OC story, but I didn't have a place in the story for it. But I really love it and wanted to post it so I changed it to Troy/Gabriella. **

**Gabriella and Troy dated for 5 years and were madly in love. After graduating college they both broke out into the entertainment industry and became stars. They break up after she walks into his trailer and she sees him with another girl. **

**THE ONLY WAY**

Troy looked across the dance floor his heart skipped a beat. There was a petite brunette dancing on a table with a bottle of Grey Goose in her hand. There she was, the love of his life, wasted to the point of complete oblivion. His heart broke into more pieces as she stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. She giggled as a guy he did not recognize stopped her from hitting the floor. She just stood up straight and placed the bottle down as the waitress came up to her and gave her another drink. His eyes became glossy as she downed it within seconds. As he watched her destroy herself anger rushed through his veins. He grabbed a cocktail napkin and asked the waiter for a pen. He scribbled a note and angrily got up, ignoring his friends who were calling his name confused.

"A hundred bucks to cut Gabriella Montez off?" he asked coming up to the waitress.

"Sure," the waitress replied.

"Thanks, when she flips out give her this," he said handing the cocktail napkin and money to her.

"Ok," she said taking the napkin.

"Thanks," he replied.

"No problem." With that, Troy walked off and leaned against the bar, in a place that he knew Gabriella would see him. About a minute later he watched as the waitress went up to Gabriella…

"Can I have another?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm sorry Gabriella, I have been asked to cut you off," she replied.

"What?! By who," she exclaimed.

"He just told me to give you this," the waitress handed her the napkin and walked off. She opened it up and read: Someone had to do it. Her jaw dropped at the handwriting. She looked up to see Troy standing there. They made eye contact and he broke it and turned away. She knew exactly where he was going so she followed him. She arrived at the balcony, to see Troy holding the door open for her. She furiously walked through the door, and he closed it behind them.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" she yelled.

"I could ask you the same fucking thing!"

"Umm, how about having fun," she shot back and he shook his head. "Since when was throwing up and falling all over the place having fun?!"

"I'm not throwing up! I'm not falling! I'm fine!"

"You're not fine," he said looking at her like she was crazy. "You're a fucking wreck!"

"Who the fuck are you to judge me? You don't fucking know me!"

"You know what? Your right I don't fucking know you, cause the Gabriella I know makes fun of girls that pass out from alcohol poisoning. And now…you're one of them."

"No I'm not! And even if I was, what makes you think you have the right to cut me off. You don't control me!"

"You really think I was going to sit there and let the girl I used to love with all my heart and every damn bone in my body destroy herself!" he screamed. She froze and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yeah! Used to! Well if you don't care about me why are you doing this," she exclaimed.

"First of all I do care," he said strictly, "and second? Because I want you to be the girl I love."

"But why? You fucking cheated on me!"

"You know I am starting to believe that you don't care about me. That you don't love me."

"What the hell makes you think that?"

"Cause if you did you would believe me!" Before Gabriella could respond her body became weak and she collapsed into Troy's arms.

"Gabriella…Gabriella!" he exclaimed shaking her.

"Huh," she said groggily, before closing her eyes.

"Oh god," he groaned.

--

Gabriella's eyes fluttered open, waking up to the sound of Troy's voice. He was on the phone pacing back and forth.

"God Chad you should've seen her..." When she realized he was talking about her she closed her eyes. "She couldn't stand up...yeah I asked the waitress to cut her off...what do you think? She flipped out...she screamed at me before passing out...passed out in the guest room." Gabriella then felt him sit on the side of the bed and place his hand on her hip. "And it's all my fault. She's my Gabi, my baby girl, seeing her like this, it breaks my heart..." At this point Gabriella was trying as hard as she can to withhold tears. "I dunno, put our past behind us until she gets better...no she definitely needs professional help...I really don't want her to have to go to rehab but if that is the only thing that is going to help her then so be it but I hope she can do something here. Then I will be able to help...I think she will be mad at first, but hopefully she will realize that I am doing this because I care about her and because I want what's best for her...of course I love her, but if we get back together I want it to be because she loves me, not because she needs someone...I know she does..." He moved his hand from her hip and began to run his hands through her hair. "God I remember how much I loved to watch her sleep, but right now...I can't stand seeing her like this…yeah…I'll talk to you later…bye man." Troy hung up the phone and stood up. He was about to walk out but stopped when he heard a sob. He turned around to see Gabriella crying.

"Gabi...you're up," he said in shock. She nodded.

"What's...what's wrong?" He asked walking over to her.

"Please...please don't send me away," she cried. "I'll do anything." He sighed and sat down on the bed.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, here I got you a pair of sweatpants and shirt." She nodded, took them from him and got out of bed. Slowly she walked into the closet. Looking in the mirror, she slipped on the sweatpants, then slowly took off her dress. She slowly put the clothes on and walked back out, tears streaming down her face. Troy led her over to the bed and she laid down.

"I'm sorry," she cried.

"It's okay," he replied softly.

"No, it's…"

"Shh, just get some sleep we will talk tomorrow," he cut her off and she nodded.

"I'll be in my room if you need anything."

"Ok," she replied.

"Goodnight," he said and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight," she replied.

The Next Day

Troy looked up as a clearly hung over Gabriella walked into the kitchen.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she mumbled.

"Sleep well?" She just shrugged and he nodded.

"What time is it?" she asked and he looked at his watch.

"Almost 2," he replied.

"Damn," she chuckled.

"Why don't you take a shower, get dressed, and then we can talk," he suggested.

"Ok, but I don't have any clothes," she replied.

"I went to your place and picked some up for you," he said not looking at her and taking

a bite of his sandwich.

"Thanks but um how did you know what to get?" she asked. He turned and looked at her

like she was crazy.

"Yeah stupid question," she mumbled.

"Yeah," he nodded. "They're in the guest room closet."

"Thanks," she replied and he nodded. She went to the guest room and took a shower. After she was done she went to the closet to get dressed. When she opened the door she was shocked to see a massive suitcase. Confused, she opened it up to see tons of clothes. She let it go for a second and grabbed a pair of jeans and a white camisole. After putting it on she walked downstairs to see Troy watching TV.

"You know it was nice of you to pack some choices, but you didn't need to pack me that many," she said sitting next to him.

"I didn't pack that much so you could have choices," he replied not taking his eyes off the TV.

"Then why did you?" she asked confused.

"Cause you will be staying here for a while," he replied, turning off the TV and looking at her.

"What?!" she asked in shock.

"Yep," he replied getting up.

"Is that an order?" she exclaimed standing up as well.

"Well if you are asking if you have a choice, the answer is no you don't."

"What the fuck! When did this happen and how come I don't have a choice?"

"It happened when we realized you need serious help."

"We?"

"Yes. Me, our friends, and your parents have decided it is what is best for you," he replied.

"And what? My opinion isn't valid?"

"No it's not."

"Since when?!"

"Since you made it clear that you cant take care of yourself!"

"Yes I can!"

"No you cant Gabriella! So get over it! You lost the privilege of managing your life the second we realized you are on the way to being the next Lindsay Lohan! Now grab your stuff, we are going over to Taylor's."

"You can go to Taylor's. I have plans."

"Not anymore you don't."

"You cant tell me what to do!"

"Watch me. Where should I start? Oh I have an idea." He went over to her bag and grabbed her phone.

"What are you doing!"

"Deleting everyone in your phonebook that I don't know."

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed going over to him and trying to get the phone out of his hand, but he moved it.

"Trevor…delete…Jamie…delete…Rachel…delete…" he said.

"Troy! Those are my friends!"

"You call the people who let you drink until you throw up then pass out your friends?" he asked looking at her like she was crazy.

"It's not their fault! You cant tell me who I can and cannot be friends with!"

"Yes I can and I am going to!"

"You don't get it! I just want to be normal!"

"Normal?" he asked in shock and confusion.

"Yes! I just want to be a normal 23 year old!" she shot back in a desperate tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I missed out on so much Troy. I know you think that I'm messed up now, but all I want is to have my raging 20s. Have fun, go wild, and have none of it matter. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to a club and getting drunk."

"Yeah, until it gets dangerous!"

"I'm not putting myself in danger! I know what I'm doing!"

"Yeah, then why don't you explain to me why you passed out in my arms last night," he shot back.

"Ugh!! Why do you have to be so uptight! Newsflash 80 percent of the people my age have passed out from alcohol. Maybe I am like this because you held me back for 4 fucking years! Because I wanna know what it's like to go out and not have someone constantly watching over me!"

"Jesus Gabriella!" Troy exclaimed furious. "I wouldn't have constantly watched over you if I didn't need to! Do you seriously think I don't know? You think I don't know that you can do shots of vodka without flinching, you think I don't know how wild you truly are? You don't know where to stop Gabriella! You never have! If I didn't think you could drink to the point where you could possibly get hurt I wouldn't care!"

"You don't know me Troy! The girl you know disappeared the second you brought Dana into your trailer. You put me through a lot of shit Troy, and as heartbreaking as it was it just made me stronger. I'm not that girl who always needs to be taken care of anymore. So if you don't like that girl, that's your problem, and there is nothing you can do to get me back to the way I was before," she said seriously. "I need to move on Troy, and

living here is not going to help me do that."

"Why? Why do you need to move on?"

"Cause it's been 9 months! I can't go through life pining over you and thinking about what could've been!"

"Why do you have absolutely no faith in us? I thought maybe, just maybe, if I could get you better and you lived here there could be an us again," he replied.

"I walked in on you with another girl, whether you were cheating on me or not, and you obviously have a problem with who I now, and I have a feeling that those things show that we just aren't meant to be. It was amazing. It truly was, but as they say, all good things have to come to an end," she replied.

"You know what, fine. You don't want to get back together. You don't wanna live here. Have fun in rehab."

"What?!" she yelled in shock.

"You heard me," he replied seriously.

"God! I hate you!" she exclaimed and stormed up to the guest room.

**PLEASE REVIEW! Next chapter is almost done and Replaced should also be up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**THE ONLY WAY**

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair when he heard a door slam. He walked upstairs and went to the guest room. He tried opening the door but it was locked, which led him to roll his eyes.

"Open the door, Gabriella," he said knocking on it.

"No!" she said frustrated.

"We need to talk Gabriella," he replied.

"I think you have said enough," she shot back.

"Just open the door, we need to have a rational conversation. I'm not leaving until you open this door," he said. She rolled her eyes and opened the door. Before he could say anything she began to speak.

"Seriously Troy. Who the f-- do you think you are trying to control my life?" He didn't respond and walked into the room and sat down on the bed with his head down. "Troy…"

He took a deep breath and looked up.

"You know you once told a magazine that one of your biggest fears was disappointing me. Well your biggest fear has just become a reality, because I have never been so disappointed in my entire life. You know where to find me when you come to your senses," he said seriously and got up. He walked to the door and turned around. "And if you don't want to go to rehab, I suggest you do it fast." She stood there frozen as he walked out.

30 Minutes Later

Troy looked up from his computer when he heard the door open.

"Can I come in?" Gabriella asked shyly.

"Of course," he replied taking the computer off his lap and putting it on the bedside table. She sighed and got up and walked over to the dresser, brushing her fingers across it.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Being back in the place I used to call home, my old bedroom," she said turning towards him. "It's weird. The last time I was here was the day we broke up…"

"I know. I'll never forget coming home and seeing Chad packing up all your stuff. It didn't really hit me until then." Gabriella just nodded.

"You really think we weren't meant to be?" he asked and she shrugged.

"We're so young. Just like everyone else. You fall in love, think you're gonna spend the rest of your life together, but then you grow up, change, and then end up breaking up," she replied. "I mean look at us now…we were never like this with each other."

"We didn't break up because we changed," Troy reminded her.

"I know, but we were bound to sometime," she replied. "If last night or today isn't proof of that, I don't know what is."

"Do you like this person you've become?"

"Yeah, I'm stronger…independent…I can go to sleep without someone next to me, I needed to know what it was like to not have someone to lean on 24/7."

"You think we could ever be friends?" he asked and she shook her head.

"We both know we could never be just friends," she replied and he nodded, know she was right.

"So say we don't get back together. That would be it? We would be out of each other's lives for…forever," he asked sadly.

"I don't know," she replied, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You know Chad always gave me like reports on you. What was going on, how you were doing, cause I couldn't stand the thought of not knowing. Even though we aren't together, you've still been a huge part of my life," he replied. "I need you in my life. And I think you need me in yours." He got up from the bed and walked up to her. He tucked a stand of hair behind her ear. "We need each other." She looked into his eyes, tears streaming down her face and he wiped one away with his thumb. "You might have needed to know what it's like not to have someone taking care of you all the time, and I get that, but we all need somebody to lean on. I just want you to be happy."

"How…how do we know that we will be happy together this time around?" she asked.

"We don't, but I think it's worth a try," he replied.

"I…I don't want to get heartbroken again," she told him sadly.

"Why are you being like this," he asked, clearly upset.

"I…I'm seeing someone," she replied nervously. He stepped back and looked at her in shock. "I'm sorry Troy, I didn't know how to tell you."

"Is…is it serious?" he asked in shock and she shrugged.

"I dunno, it's pretty new," she mumbled.

"Oh…ummm…okay then. I guess this was just a waste of time then," he mumbled, more pissed at himself. "I'm really losing you. Aren't I?"

"I don't want to lose you either Troy. But it's like we have no other choice."

"Why?" he asked, tears now coming to his eyes as well. It was as if all of his dreams were being shattered once again.

"Because that's just how life is," she replied and he shook his head, tears now streaming down his face. "You…you never cry."

"I…I got my hopes up, that the dreams I had given up on could actually come true. But…but they are shattering right in front of my eyes."

"Dreams of what?"

"You standing next to me in a white dress in front of a judge with our family and friends around us. Placing my hand on your stomach, to protect the baby that is inside of it. I can't imagine doing any of that with any other woman," he replied and more tears flowed down her face. "When you had the pregnancy scare…years ago, you said you began to like the idea of having kids with me. Why don't you feel that way anymore?"

"I dreamed of it too Troy. But now look at us. Things aren't the way they used to be," she replied through her tears. He took a deep breath and wiped the tears off his face.

"Well then I guess this is goodbye?" Gabriella took in his words and replayed them over and over in her head. By the 10th time she had come to a realization and ended up on the floor convulsing in sobs. He immediately bent down behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shhh…it's okay. I'm right here," he said in a soothing tone holding her tight, and she began to calm down slightly. "Talk to me baby. Tell me why you're doing this," he said in her ear.

"I'm…I'm scared," she cried.

"Of what?"

"Of commitment. Of love. I mean look what happened to my parents, they were together for 22 years then all of a sudden it was over. Everything was perfect between us and then all of a sudden it was just…over. I cant go through that again," she replied. "I'm scared of the way you make me feel." He sighed and held her tighter.

"Is it a good or bad feeling?"

"Good. So good it scares me."

"I cant tell you there aren't going to be bumps in the road and that it wont be hard sometimes, but I can promise you that I will never let you go again," he replied.

"Troy how do I…" she started but stopped when he got up and walked to his drawer. He quickly grabbed something and walked back to her and bent down in front of her.

"Here's my promise," he said, holding out a jewelry box and she looked at him confused.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Open it." She slowly took it out of his hand before opening it. She gasped as soon as she saw what was inside. A diamond ring.

"Troy…" she said in shock.

"I bought it about a month before we broke up," he said.

"You…you were going to…propose?" she asked in shock.

"On our 4 and a half year anniversary, at our spot, at midnight," he replied.

"I…I don't know what to say."

"I want to marry you Gabi. Spend the rest of my life with you." She looked down at the ring then back up at him. Tears streaming down her face, her heart pounding through her chest, she nodded.

"Ok."

**The End! Please Review!!**


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